Dev Container Setup#

DevOps-OS provides a pre-configured VS Code Dev Container that gives you a consistent, multi-language development environment with all CI/CD tools included. Configure programming language and tool versions via environment variables with security-aware recommendations.

Quick Start#

python -m devops_os.core.scaffold_devcontainer \
  --languages python,go \
  --cicd-tools docker,kubectl,helm \
  --kubernetes-tools k9s,argocd_cli,flux
# Output: .devcontainer/devcontainer.json
#         .devcontainer/devcontainer.env.json

Then open VS Code and run “Dev Containers: Reopen in Container” from the Command Palette.

Run python -m devops_os.core.scaffold_devcontainer --help to see all available options.

Options#

Option	Default	Description
`--languages LANGS`	`python`	Comma-separated languages: `python`, `java`, `node`, `ruby`, `csharp`, `php`, `rust`, `typescript`, `kotlin`, `c`, `cpp`, `javascript`, `go`
`--cicd-tools TOOLS`	`docker,github_actions`	CI/CD tools: `docker`, `terraform`, `kubectl`, `helm`, `github_actions`, `jenkins`
`--kubernetes-tools TOOLS`	(none)	K8s tools: `k9s`, `kustomize`, `argocd_cli`, `lens`, `kubeseal`, `flux`, `kind`, `minikube`, `openshift_cli`
`--build-tools TOOLS`	(none)	Build tools: `gradle`, `maven`, `ant`, `make`, `cmake`
`--code-analysis TOOLS`	(none)	Analysis tools: `sonarqube`, `checkstyle`, `pmd`, `eslint`, `pylint`
`--devops-tools TOOLS`	(none)	DevOps tools: `nexus`, `prometheus`, `grafana`, `elk`, `jenkins`
`--python-version VER`	`3.12`	Python version (via `DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_PYTHON` env var)
`--java-version VER`	`21`	Java JDK version (via `DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_JAVA` env var)
`--node-version VER`	`22`	Node.js version (via `DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_NODE` env var)
`--go-version VER`	`1.25.0`	Go version (via `DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_GO` env var)
`--output-dir DIR`	`.`	Root directory; files written to `<dir>/.devcontainer/`

All options can be set via environment variables prefixed DEVOPS_OS_DEVCONTAINER_ or DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_ for version configuration.

Generated Files#

.devcontainer/
├── devcontainer.json     VS Code dev container configuration
└── devcontainer.env.json Tool / language selection & versions

devcontainer.json contains: build args, VS Code extensions, forwarded ports, and post-create commands.

devcontainer.env.json controls which languages and tools are enabled — it drives the Dockerfile build args.

Full-stack Example#

python -m devops_os.core.scaffold_devcontainer \
  --languages python,java,javascript \
  --cicd-tools docker,terraform,kubectl,helm \
  --kubernetes-tools k9s,kustomize,argocd_cli,flux \
  --devops-tools prometheus,grafana \
  --python-version 3.12

This generates a dev container with:

Python 3.12, Java 21, Node.js 22
Docker, Terraform, kubectl, Helm
K9s, Kustomize, ArgoCD CLI, Flux CD
Prometheus (port 9090) and Grafana (port 3000) forwarded

Version Management#

All tool and language versions are managed via environment variables with security-aware recommendations. Learn more in the Version Management Guide.

Quick Version Update#

Set versions via environment variables:

export DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_PYTHON=3.13
export DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_GO=1.25.0
export DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_NODE=22

Or use the .env file approach:

# .env
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_PYTHON=3.12
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_JAVA=21
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_GO=1.25.0
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_NODE=22
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_DOCKER=27.0.0

Check for Security Updates#

Use MCP tools to check for security issues and get recommendations:

check_security_issues(tools="python,java,docker")
suggest_versions(prefer_lts=true)

Manual Configuration#

Edit the generated .devcontainer/devcontainer.env.json directly:

{
  "languages": {
    "python": true,
    "java": true,
    "javascript": true,
    "go": false
  },
  "cicd": {
    "docker": true,
    "terraform": true,
    "kubectl": true,
    "helm": true,
    "github_actions": true
  },
  "kubernetes": {
    "k9s": true,
    "kustomize": true,
    "argocd_cli": true,
    "flux": true
  },
  "versions": {
    "python": "3.12",
    "java": "21",
    "node": "22",
    "go": "1.25.0"
  }
}

After editing, rebuild the container: “Dev Containers: Rebuild Container”.

Using with Existing Projects#

Copy the generated .devcontainer/ directory to your project:

# In the devops_os repo:
python -m devops_os.core.scaffold_devcontainer \
  --languages python,go \
  --output-dir /path/to/my-project

# Open your project in VS Code and reopen in container
cd /path/to/my-project
code .

Included Tools (by category)#

Category	Tools
Languages	Python · Java · Node.js · Go · Ruby · C/C++ · Rust
Containers	Docker CLI · Docker Compose
IaC	Terraform · AWS CLI · Azure CLI
Kubernetes	kubectl · Helm · K9s · Kustomize · KinD · Minikube
GitOps	ArgoCD CLI · Flux CD
Observability	Prometheus · Grafana · ELK Stack
Build	Maven · Gradle · npm · pip · Go tools
Code Quality	SonarQube · ESLint · Pylint · CheckStyle

Troubleshooting#

Container fails to build#

Check Docker is running
Ensure sufficient disk space (>5 GB free)
Review Docker build logs for specific errors

Tool not available after build#

Check the tool is true in devcontainer.env.json
Rebuild the container: “Dev Containers: Rebuild Container”
Regenerate the devcontainer files with python -m devops_os.core.scaffold_devcontainer ... if you changed the selected tools

Version environment variables not taking effect#

Export variables before building: export DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_PYTHON=3.13
Source your .env file: source .env
Rebuild the container to apply new versions
Check Version Management guide for detailed configuration options

Version Management - Manage tool versions and security updates
MCP Setup - Configure MCP tools for dev containers
Language Guides - Language-specific setup and examples